Caroline

Sorry to hear you're having a tough time, especially when all you're trying to do is do your job and help out during this ridiculous situation, rest assured at least one of my (pathetic) claps tonight will be for you. And I hope yesterday bought some reprieve compared to Tuesday. And agree your f*** 'em attitude is the best...ever!

Anyway trying not to waffle too much (vvvv difficult as am sure you already know) before I say good luck for call today.  I know that not seeing someone face to face is less than ideal but I hope that somehow they manage to be as thorough as they possibly can and I'm sure if they sense anything is not as it should be they will see you in person.  

Although nothing like your situation I had the doc appointment, which are all now over the phone where I am, and the video conferencing NHS thing wasn't working (not a surprise) so I have self diagnosed eczema (around my eye - it stings, ow!), was quite amused when the doctor following prescribing some evil potion told me that if it doesn't improve in 2 wks to go to eye casualty! Can't wait for my eyeballs to melt like that naughty German chap at the end of Indiana Jones & the Raiders of the Lost Ark (funny as think the Temple of Doom would be more appropriate currently....).

Anyway best of luck missus

XX

Hi ladies,

I missed the call :neutral: I didn't realise my phone was on silent!!! 

Aaaaagh! How infuriating - have you called to rearrange?  I must make sure I'm sitting waiting with phone at the ready at 9am next Wednesday!

xxx

ARGGGHHH!!

You great nana.

Am sure they will have phoned back by now??  Do hope so.  

Hope you heard my special claps last night, my right arm ached afterwards but due to a very good cause of course.

So had my rads apppintment which wasn't a planning one at all it was a "hear the side effects and sign your life away" meeting.  Leaky seroma is delaying proceedings so planning meeting now 14th April and rads likely to start beginning May-ish. So all fine really.  Obviously things may get delayed re that bl**dy disease but not overly concerned.

Right this glutton is ravenous so need lunch, will write usual lengthy rubbish soon...

Sam X

I called the breast cancer nurses office yesterday and left a message to say id missed my call but not heard anything back. I went out and clapped yesterday too!! I'm so in awe of some of the nurses I work with and what they are having to go through at the moment. 
Fingers crossed they do get your radiotherapy started in May. Yes they will need to wait till all your operation scars have calmed down. Don't forget to get your cream ready!! 
 

Caroline xx

C&C

Found time in my hectic schedule to drivel on!

Caroline

I do hope that someone responds to your missed appointment soon and that work is not as annoying as it was? 

My work has furloughed its staff but is paying full pay till end of month so am glad that my private medical came through...for me cancer does have some benefits!

I think I have a "cream" chat at planing session...let's see what they recommend as it seems to be different at lots of hospitals. Already have aloe Vera in fridge (it will be soooper cool come May!).

Christine 

I think that along with running & cycling you'll find there's more joining you in your artistic pursuits.  On the plus side with painting you don't knacker your legs eh, just ( if it was me) cover the house in paint...and probably ruin the painting when I couldn't get the eyes or some other detail "right".

When is your follow-up appointment next week?

Re the calcium tablets I just leave them on the kitchen side so that I have to look at them every time I pass through kitchen - that way I can't avoid them.  Try sticking them near kettle or fridge door? 

I'm not sure even if its practical to write about but what did your physio tell you to do to stop the sandpaper feeling under your arm?  I do attempt to massage (my version, not sure a masseuse would agree) it every day but not sure its having as much of an effect as I think it should.

I also like the hair strategy, I totally agree and will, if mine looks too terrible in a couple of weeks (and it will based on progression to date), shave it all off again, after all it will be lovely in the summer especially when those hot flushes come around.  I'm sure you look fab!

As its going to be a lovely day today (nice enough to go out without coat but not too hot, those sort of sunny days are acceptable to this northerner) I think I'll get stuck back into my book and will forgo my daily walk as there'll be too many people that will need shouting at in the woods near me - I'm more likely to lose my voice than get cv.

Am expanding my culinary horizons further this week, stuffed peppers awaits mid-week, I did used to live on fish or vegetarian muck with veg - am a confirmed carnivore  (nothing better than some corned beef or tongue - the quality meats!!) though decent meat too costly for a tight northerner to then ruin by her inability to (be bothered to) cook it properly! If I live through this nonsense given my food experiments that will be nothing short of miraculous.

Watched the film contagion last night, was quite happy that annoying Gwyneth Paltrow got her comeuppance but funny how in hindsight its more of a documentary!

Stay well & hope you both get your meetings this week.  Time for my morning exercises, am going through my CD collection (went through all my vinyl already) and am on classic disco tracks currently - am sure the neighbours appreciate it and my singing of course, the cats seem to want to be outside when this happens surprisingly enough...

Sam X

Hi Sam,

My "consultation" is 9 am on Wednesday, I was hoping to pick Caroline's brain as to what to expect but unless she gets another one before Wednesday it looks like I'm on my own. 
I had my walk with Archie this morning, we went right to the top of the lane to see the deer and the alpacas, but the deer were right over the other side of the field, I could just see their silhouettes in the distance and the alpacas weren't out. It's a good walk though, gets the heart beating and the breath pumping. Took a very pretty photo of a robin sitting on a reed by the side of the lake, future painting inspiration, perhaps.  The one I'm doing at the moment is taking too long. I keep seeing it differently and changing things. It's only a woodland scene and I have put deer in, but they are no problem it's the blooming leaves on the trees that I'm struggling with.  I met a few people on the walk but stayed at the safe distance while talking to them. I got annoyed later, though, when a complete stranger parked his car right outside my house then got his walking gear out of the boot and toddled off.  I didn't see him come back because I was painting but I might have said something about unnecessary journeys.

This current situation has brought our neighbourhood together. We are having a street party when it's all,over. Then someone came up with the idea of an online quiz, just between the group. I haven't joined in that because I am terrible at quizzes- I get very competitive and as I've spent a lifetime collecting and storing useless information in this excuse for a brain, so I usually win. Once when I was working my department joined in with another department working on the same floor, for a Christmas party, including a quiz.  The people organising it had bought loads of silly little Christmas gifts as prizes for each stage of the quiz and I won the lot. It got so embarrassing I ended up giving the person next to me the answers so I didn't win. I have to say they chose a lot of geographical and historical questions that sort of included everywhere I'd ever lived.

The next idea someone has come up with is for us to put chairs at the end of our drives and have a sing song!  Only problem is our road is L shaped and I live on the short bit of the L,  I made my excuses, then my neighbour immediately opposite me said we could go to the corner and sit on opposite sides of the street and join in. Grrrr! This is only going to happen if we are still on lockdown in the Summer, so it isn't going to happen - not with me partaking, anyway.

I've just been a horrible sister, it's my (younger) sister's 70 th birthday today.  She lives in California, and her younger son, who lives at their ranch in Belize set up a surprise Zoom party for her. I hate parties, real or otherwise. From the sound of it there were going to be people from all over the world joining in this thing, not many of whom I would know so I didn't join in.  My nephew, not her son, phoned me to remind me and I told him I didn't want to do it, but I might just log on near the end, but I didn't!!!

I sent her loads of virtual cards and a message this morning, which she hasn't replied to, despite having been online lots of times since!  Now I'm going to feel guilty, for not doing something I didn't want to do.

I have to contradict you about painting not knackering your legs. My knees are killing me after standing painting all day. I wouldn't care but I bought an adjustable bar stool just for painting and I forget to sit on it! I think I'll take a pain killer tablet tonight just to make sure I sleep. 
I hope you get good advice about cream for your skin prior to having rads. My physio recommended Aveeno and it does make the skin feel lovely and soft.  How she taught me to reduce the oversensitivity in my arm was to stand in front of the mirror, naked and to stroke the good arm in the same place the bad arm hurts. Give it a good few gentle strokes from elbow to armpit. Then you stroke the bad arm In the same way, and repeat. It only took about a week and I'd forgotten how irritated the sore one had been. Apparently your brain realises that both arms should feel the same and the good arm is how it should feel!

One good thing about the group of neighbours messaging us all is they pass on some good jokes.  Someone sent a serious looking piece of advice today. It said that wine and other alcohol bottles should be put out into the recycling bin at 8pm on Thursday night, as the clapping for the NHS would drown out the evidence of your household's descent into alcoholism!

Christine xxx

Hi ladies,

I called the breast cancer nurses again today as still not heard anything. They said there was a letter in the post, which had arrived when I got home from work. Just said if I wanted to rearrange my call, to give them a bell or if I was happy to wait till my 12month appointment, I could do that. They have given me a date in October for my 12 month check up. I'm not really sure what to do, to be honest. I really don't feel that I will achieve much reassurance from a phone call. 
Work is crazy busy and I'm finding Im working much longer hours. But I do like the fact that I can leave the house everyday. 
Christine, maybe we will be taking our lead from your follow up call!!

Sam, like Christine recommended, I also used aveeno cream and had no real side effects

Take care ladies xx

Howdy all....

Christine,

Oooo I love alpacas, though I do feel sorry for lamas which seem overshadowed by the smaller and cuter alpacas, there's loads down here in Surrey land as people already have horses and probably nothing better to spend their ill gotten gains on!

The woods that I live near have loads of daft deer too, when I used to cycle to work I used to come across them quite regularly, they are lovely creatures but not the brightest -one once jumped out on poor boyfriend when he was cycling to mine, he nearly had a coronary!  What does Archie make of these animals?  

The robin is my favourite woodland bird round here and I like to play spot the robin (when I can hear it I must locate it!), I'm pretty darn good I have two say, they are so up for a fight (reminds me of someone...).

Eyes and leaves eh...they're your cryptonite!

You sound like my mother - she ALWAYS wins at trivial pursuit, I can always get a pink cheese but the rest are somewhat harder to come by.  She is also very annoying in that she generally completes the Times crossword, I struggle with the Waitrose weekly paper one which is definitely for simpletons.

I do love the plans that your community has and hope that similar things are happening elsewhere and do come to fruition, not sure they will round here....I will however have a big ooop north celebration with pals.  That said I'm not sure the singing would be my idea of fun, I'm not really very Vera Lynn.

Re your knees am now imagining you painting with your feet...and that would be a feat!!

Will give the stroking of both arms a go, with the curtains shut.

Hope the call yesterday was ok.  Let us know how it went.

Caroline

Can't believe they haven't returned your blummin call yet, that is bad show.

And there's no point phoning to rearrange when they won't even return your call is there? Madness.

Glad work seems to be on a more even footing and that you're enjoying it (or at least the opportunity to get out & about).  I really don't know how I will practically manage to fit in any work in my hectic schedule nowadays.  I do think that with a lot of WFH and changed routines that many will be re-evaluating their lives (much like many post cancer 

Treatment do I guess) and will be choosing more flexible ways of working....and on that note don't overdo it!

I do get to go outdoors (other than supermarket walk or hours walk) today...yay!  Its my monthly zolodex injection at the hospital, strange how you really look forward to these "opportunities", I will be getting glammed up accordingly given these times are now few & far between...Not sure how it will work as the chemo ward (where I have these) is now locked down...we'll see.

Also have now decided that I can drive again - especially given how long it took on public transport when last used as boyfriend has v important work related meeting. Just as well there's nowt on the roads...

Hope you've given up something amazing for lent, other than socialising or the will to live!  Happy Easter.

Sam X